13032019-btd-01.qxd 3/12/2019 11:04 PM Page 1 c m y b Bathinda TRIBUNE ANNUAL DAY CELEBRATED AT PLAYWAY SCHOOL PAGE 2 Students of SSD Balgopal Playway School celebrated the annual day on the school campus. FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY INBRIEF TWO BOOKED FOR ASSAULTING COP Muktsar: The Lakhewali police have booked two persons for allegedly tearing the uniform of a policeman on duty at Maha Badhar village on Monday. Head Constable Harjinder Singh alleged that after getting a complaint from the police control room, he had gone to Maha Badhar village where two persons — Jindu Singh and Shinder Singh of same village — were in an inebriated condition and tore his uniform. A case under Sections 323, 353, 186, 148 and 149 of the IPC has been registered in this regard. TNS 55-YR-OLD MAN ELECTROCUTED SUNSET WEDNESDAY 6:36 PM Villagers unhappy over removal of names from Atta-Dal scheme Bathinda, March 12 Unhappy over the removal of their names from the AttaDal scheme, residents of Kotshamir village staged a protest against the state government in front of the District Administrative Complex here on Tuesday. Later, they also took out a protest march that was headed by the Dihati Mazdoor Sabha. The protesters alleged that they were getting benefits under the Atta-Dal scheme in the past, but since the Congress came in power, it started re-verifying their cards, leading to removal of several beneficiaries’ names from the scheme. They said many families having a good income are taking the benefit of the scheme. Hardeep Singh, a resident of Kotshamir village, said “In my area, Blue Ration Cards of many people have been cancelled, while the people from a good background using their political approach are taking ration from depots.” “The condition has become such that the real beneficiaries are not getting any benefit of the scheme. Though the government had organised camps in this regard at various places, every time after taking forms, no action has been taken further,” he added. “The names of widows, senior citizens and differently abled, who do not have any breadwinner in their families, have also been removed from the beneficiaries’ list,” the protesters added. They demanded that their cards be verified again and benefits under the scheme must be resumed on a priority basis. Malout: A 55-year-old man was electrocuted when his vehicle, which he was driving, accidentally came in contact with live electricity wires on the Chhapianwali road here on Tuesday. The deceased, Jaspal Singh of Malout, was reportedly driving the canter out of a workshop of agricultural implements when the mishap occurred. Sources said the driver even tried to jump out of the vehicle, but he was electrocuted. TNS ORDER ON SHOPS NEAR IAF STATION Bathinda: The administration has imposed a ban on setting up a business establishment without police verification in the 100-yard area outside the Bhisiana Air Force station. ADC (General) Sukhpreet Singh Sidhu has issued an order under Section 144 in this regard. These orders will remain enforce till September 11. TNS Villagers hold a protest in Bathinda on Tuesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: PAWAN SHARMA Kurali, March 12 The police seized 70 boxes of liquor with the arrest of two persons on Monday. According to ASI Dalwinder Singh, a check-post was erected by the police near the local toll plaza and an Innova car was stopped for checking. During a checking, 40 boxes of liquor were recovered and suspect Baljit Kumar was arrested. Similarly, ASI Dalwinder Singh stopped a Balero car near the Fatehgarh Sahib T-point. The driver tried to escape on seeing the police. However, he was arrested and 30 boxes of liquor were recovered from him. — OC Faridkot, March 12 To check alleged misuse of the 15 per cent NRI quota in MBBS, MD and MS courses, the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has asked all candidates applying under the NRI category to submit their passports and other documents that support their NRI status. Announcing the tentative schedule of online counselling for the 50 per cent postgraduate (MD, MS, MDS) NEET and All India Quota seats, the MCC has invited the aspirant and eligible candidates for registration from March 15. The last date of the first round of the counselling is March 25. For the remaining 50 per Netflix releases trailer of its sevenpart anthology series Delhi Crime, directed by filmmaker Richie Mehta. SUNRISE TUESDAY 6:42 AM WEDNESDAY | 13 MARCH 2019 | BATHINDA Farmers on protest path Want blank cheques taken while getting loans returned Tribune News Service Bathinda, March 12 On a call by the state committee of the BKU (Ekta Ugrahan), its district unit on Tuesday initiated an indefinite protest in front of the district branch of Co-operative Agricultural Development Bank here. Farmers have been demanding from bankers to return their blank cheques, which were taken from them at the time of providing loans. Addressing the protesters, district president of the BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) Shingara Singh Mann said before giving loans to farmers, blank cheques were illegally taken from them. Lashing out at the Centre and the state government, farmer leaders Mothu Singh Kotra and Harinder Kaur Bindu accused them of adopting “anti-farmer and labour policies”. They said due to these policies, farmers suffer losses and it becomes difficult for them to return the loan money, leading to suicides. The farmer leaders said thereafter, banks misuse blank cheques, adding to the woes of farmers. They added that before the Assembly elections, the Congress had promised to waive complete loan, but after two was born in ❝My mother has struggled atolot in her life. Iany news of 1966 and whenever we came know about Parvesh Sharma Barnala, March 12 Family members of a Prisoner of War (PoW) lodged in a Pakistan Jail on Tuesday wrote a letter to the President, seeking his help to take up the matter with the Pakistan authorities. At present, there are 55 PoWs from India lodged in various jails of Pakistan. “Maha Singh from Karmgarh village, son of Sepoy Lal Singh, has never seen his father after the 1965 war with Pakistan. After that, he had gone missing. Initially, the family thought that he had died, but in August 2013, Satish Kumar, a resident of Ferozepur, informed them that his father was in the Kila Attack Frontier Jail. Satish has spent 12 years in a Pakistan jail. On Tuesday, family mem- PoWs, we always try to get any information about my father. But nothing positive has happened. The release of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman has again revived our hopes. ❞ Sepoy Lal Singh, who is lodged in a Pakistan jail. TRIBUNE PHOTO bers and we wrote a letter the President with all details and requested him to take up the matter with Pakistan for the release of all 53 PoWs” said, Gurjinder Singh Sidhu, state chief of the ex-servicemen wing of the SAD. Maha Singh has also served in the Army and retired as a Head Constable in 2001. Medical counselling panel asks NRI applicants to submit affidavit Tribune News Service PAGE 4 Members of the BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) stage a protest outside Cooperative Agriculture Bank in Bathinda on Tuesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: PAWAN SHARMA UP IN ARMS AGAINST BANKERS Muktsar: For getting their blank cheques back, a large number of farmers under the banner of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) staged a protest outside Sutlej Gramin Bank at Killianwali in Malout subdivision on Tuesday. They had given the blank cheques at the time of taking loans. The farmers said they would continue their protest until the cheques were returned. “Before coming to power, the Congress had promised to waive our debts. However, it has failed to fulfil its promise and waived the debts of cooperative banks and that too by putting so many conditions,” they said. TNS years in power, only a few farmers have got little relief due to terms and conditions set by the government in its loan waiver scheme. The farmer leaders said instead of waiving the loans completely, the state government is not taking any action against the illegal recovery of loans by banks using blank cheques. They were of the view that despite the High Court’s directions, blank cheques have not been returned. Their other demands were complete loan waiver of farmers or labourer, who are incapable of returning the loan amount, ~10 lakh as compensation to the family of the farmers who had committed suicide due to debt, government jobs to the one family members of the deceased farmer and loan waiver, withdrawal of cheque-bounce cases pending in courts and release of farmers who are in jails in connection with these cases. Family seeks Prez help for release of PoW Relief for online applicants Tribune News Service 2 held with 70 boxes of liquor NETFLIX RELEASES TRAILER OF SERIES DELHI CRIME Actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas has given a shout out to her husband Nick Jonas and her brother-in laws. MAX 25°C | MIN 11°C | YESTERDAY MAX 25°C | MIN 10°C Tribune News Service PAGE 3 PRIYANKA CHOPRA PROUD OF JONAS BROTHERS MOVE AIMED AT CHECKING MISUSE OF NRI QUOTA ■ To prevent the misuse of NRI quota seats for admission to postgraduate (PG) medical courses in private medical colleges, the MCC has sought affidavits from NRIs applicants and their sponsors to ascertain their eligibility. ■ Sources in the MCC said some of the medical institutions give admission to a certain number of students under the NRI quota by charging a higher amount of the fee. cent state quota seats, the Department of Medical Education Punjab is yet to issue its notification and schedule for the counselling. Of the total seats, 15 per cent are reserved for NRIs in all courses in private colleges. To prevent the misuse of NRI quota seats for admission to postgraduate (PG) medical courses in private medical colleges, the MCC has sought affidavits from NRIs applicants and their sponsors to ascertain their eligibility. Sources in the MCC said some of the medical institutions give admission to a certain number of students under the NRI quota by charging a higher amount of the fee. In these cases, neither the students who get admissions under the NRI category nor their parents are NRIs. In fact, under this category, many less meritorious students, who can afford to bring more money, get admissions, they added. Maha Singh, SON OF SEPOY LAL SINGH Manual registration of sale deeds in all such cases till March 31 Kuldip Bhatia Ludhiana, March 12 There is good news for those with pending online applications for registration of sale deeds, especially those cases where the date of appointment had lapsed with registration still pending due to the strike by the clerical staff in all government departments. Since the software installed at the offices of three sub-registrars in the city was not compatible to deal with the back date online appointments, the district officials have issued instructions for manual registration of sale deeds in all such cases till March 31. A delegation of the Punjab Colonisers and Property Dealers Association had met the Deputy Commissioner Pradeep Kumar Agrawal here yesterday to apprise him of problems being faced by the public and the property dealers due to high pendency of online applications for registration of sale deeds due to strike by the employees and problem with the software which was not picking up lapsed appointments. It was learnt that with the introduction of online applications for registration of sale deeds coupled with protracted strike by the ministerial staff in the government offices, an estimated 2,000odd applications were pending in the offices of sub registrars (East, West and South) here. Even though senior officials of the Revenue Department have been claiming that if routine day to day working was disturbed due to the disposal of pending applications, the registration of sale deeds would also be carried out on Saturdays so that all pendency could be cleared by March 31. At the same time, the software had been updated to provide a two-month window in place of prevailing onemonth period for appointments. The step would help in reducing congestion on any particular day and facilitate grant of more appointments to people on their preferred dates well in advance, said the officials. “My mother has struggled a lot in her life. I was born in 1966 and whenever we came to know about any news of PoWs, we always try to get any information about my father. But nothing positive has happened. The release of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman has again revived our hopes. Hopefully, after the forthcoming elections, the new Indian Government will take up the matter with the Pakistan govern- ment,” he added. Maha Singh added that he, along with some other relatives of PoWs, has filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, seeking its intervention for the release of PoWs. The next date of hearing is in April, he said. “We have all required evidence to prove that our relatives are lodged in different jails of Pakistan. In the coming hearings, we will share all evidences,” he said. 7 shops partially demolished Ex-serviceman in dock for ‘sacrificing’ cows Nikhil Bhardwaj Phagwara, March 12 Employees of the Municipal Corporation, Phagwara, today partially demolished seven shops for violating rules in the local Model Town locality. Though the owner of the shops Parminder Singh denied allegations of any violation and claimed sanctioning of maps of the shops was done as per the rules. MC Assistant Commissioner Surjit Singh said notices under Sections 260/270 of the MC Act had been sent to the violators. When asked about the claims of the shop owner regarding the sanctioning of maps, the Assistant Commissioner said the map sanctioned in 2013 could not be termed as valid as change of land use could not be allowed at any cost. The MC had acted only after issuing the notices, he said while the shop owner denied the charges.— OC c m y b Tribune News Service Ludhiana, March 12 An ex-serviceman has courted controversy for allegedly killing and burying cows at his house in Budhewal village. Officials of the police and the district administration were camping at his house where land was being excavated to recover the carcasses. The incident came to the fore last night when activists of the Shiv Sena Hindustan informed the police that a man, who is claiming to be an ex-serviceman, had killed cows and buried them at his house. The activists alleged that the suspect practised witchcraft for which he had been sacrificing cows. President of Vyopar Sena Punjab Chandar Kant Chadda said after they had been informed by the villagers Land being excavated at Buddhewal village in Ludhiana on Tuesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN that the man was sacrificing cows as a part of witchcraft, they informed the senior officials of the police and the district administration. A raid was conducted at the house of the suspect. “We believe the suspect was practising sorcery and he had been sacrificing cows for that purpose. We want action against the man. Entire land in his dairy complex should be excavated to recover car- casses,” said Chaddha. Under the supervision of senior officials, land was also being excavated and the carcasses of a cow and a calf were recovered. The ADCP 4, Pirthipal Singh, said two carcasses were recovered after excavation and an examination was being done to ascertain the cause of their death. “So far, we have not registered any case against the man against whom a complaint was filed, but we are probing the matter. We will pursue the matter further after the receipt of the report on carcasses,” said the ADCP. The police official said the ex-serviceman revealed that he had buried a cow and a calf about a year back after they died of some disease. He had to bury them at his complex as carcass-removers were on strike then.

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